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Anurion the Green
Anurion the Green is a High Elf Archmage and noble of Saphery. A dedicated botanist, he is the creator of a number of supernatural flora, including one that shares his name, as well as a more vicious type of honeybee. Along with his daughter, Kyrielle Greenkin, he owns an isolated winter palace in Yvresse, upon a plateau somewhere in the Shifting Isles. Though Anurion is well known within the Tower of Hoeth, he rarely visits. This is not only because of his love of tinkering and creating, but because there are those in the Tower who think his work frivolous. Inevitably, he gets into an argument, his short-temper and cantankerousness leading him to leave and swear to never return. Anurion's Winter Palace The villa that comprises Anurion's winter palace is not what most would think of when considering such; marble walls, soaring ceilings and graceful architecture that celebrates the craftsman's art while blending sympathetically with the surrounding landscape. Only in the latter does Anurion's palace exceed expectations, for the complex is a living thing, its walls seemingly grown from the rock of the cliffs it's built upon, shaped and formed according to the many whims of its creator. Plant-life grows from every nook and cranny, vines creeping across walls and columns of trees forming great vaults of leaves to create grand processionals. Not only is this natural architecture astounding, even by Elven standards, but also confounding, for no sooner had a passageway formed than it would reshape itself or be reshaped as the palace' master wandered at random through his home, causing new blooms to arise in his wake. Every open space within Anurion's home was a place of wonder and beauty, where some Asur imagine distant Athel Loren must be like. Even for relatives who have been living within the palace, it is easy to become lost, though the top of the cliff it rests upon offers bread and a multitude of fish, fruit and vegetables to dine upon, many of which have outlandish names that are not derived from Elven, or perhaps any language. From atop the tallest tree-tower, one can survey the lands of Yvresse, savouring the rugged coastline fringed with dense coniferous forests and long fjords that cut into the landscape from the ocean. Deep mist-shrouded valleys thrust inland and hardy evergreens tumble down to the water's edge, where the ocean spreads out towards the Shifting Isles, and the Old World beyond. To the west, the foothills of the Annulii march off to distant peaks towering dramatically into the clouds. The tang of magic from the raw energies contained within them can allegedly set one's teeth on edge. Yet, to the south, one can see the tips of glittering mansions and towers; all that can be seen of Tor Yvresse, its spires achingly beautifully despite the mist, or perhaps because of it. Only a few servants and spear-armed guards dwell within the palace, with the majority of Anurion's guard still in Saphery. The villa holds a stable for Elven Steeds, but Anurion himself rides a Pegasus. Anurion's Study To call the room a study would give it a degree of formality it does not have. Formed from a hybrid of marble walls and living matter, tall trees curve overhead to form a graceful arch with trailing fronds reaching to the ground like feathered ropes. Plants and parts of plants cover every surface, hanging from baskets floating in the air or suspended by streamers of magical light that bubble upwards from silver bowls. Budding flowers climb the legs of the chairs and tables, each of which having been grown into its current form instead of being fashioned by the hand of a craftsman. A dense, earthly aroma hangs in the air alongside a million scents from the dizzyingly varied species of blooms that cover almost every surface in the chamber. To its occupants, the scents of so many living things should be overpowering, but instead are entirely pleasant, as though Anurion had somehow managed to find the exact combination to ensure the air remained pleasingly fragrant. Between Anurion's study and the rest of the complex exist great cathedrals of mighty trees and grottos of unsurpassed beauty. A number of arbours and clearings of marble and leaf, can be found here, and with each new and magnificent vista, it easy to forget that this is one of the Archmage's 'lesser' palaces. Greenhouse Within the Greenhouse, swathes of shimmering panes ripple like water in golden frames of wire surely too slender to support the weight of such an amount of glass. The ceiling is akin to a magical barrier that keeps out the worst of the external environment while maintaining a constant internal temperature. If one waits long enough, they may notice a portion of these shimmering panes appear to shiver before dispensing a fine spray of water across the plants nearest it. Standing inside the oval-shaped greenhouse one can see the ceiling stretches far to the left and right, yet becomes obscured by the tall branches of strange trees. Visitors will hear the droning of insects and the rustle of leaves disturbed by a gentle breeze, as well as soft puffs akin to those made by an atomiser dispensing perfume. Said-chamber's perimeter is formed from the trunks of slender trees with shimmering, oily-looking bark. While sticky, the sap is pleasantly fragrant. Approaching one end of the room, coiling vines and creepers intertwined with the trunks pull back with a rustling hiss, like a curtain of beads parted by an invisible hand. Beyond this door, which hisses as it closes, resides long rows of plants and seed beds stretching out before visitors beneath more rippling ceiling. This room is much larger than the previous one, and displays terraced walls and graceful columns from which hang a variety of outlandish plants. Indeed, the door one passes through brings them out midway down a terrace of hanging gardens built into the side of the cliff. High above, one can see the outline of the imposing, plant-wreathed dwelling of the winter palace. Setting off down the nearest aisle of plants, the air is filled with a multitude of different scents and hot with moisture. To the left,, this great garden space rises up in a series of blooming terraces to the sprawling villa above, while on the right it falls away in curling paths down the cliffs. Beyond the transparent liquid walls held by golden wire, one can see the brilliant blue of the great ocean, its vast expanses dotted with mist-shrouded isles. Trivia * In one of the winter palace's clearings, statues of the Elven gods ring the edges -- Asuryan, Isha, Vaul, Loec, Kurnous and Morai-heg. Each is rendered in silver and gold, worked into the landscape with such skill that they appear as hidden voyeurs rather than adornments. * Lines of elemental power lay beneath the site of the palace, implying that either the Geomantic Web or worldroots are the reason for Anurion's building atop the locale. Source * : Defenders of Ulthuan, by Graham McNeill ** : Chapter 2 ** : Chapter 3 ** : Chapter 4 ** : Chapter 5 ** : Chapter 6 ** : Chapter 9 Category:Asur Mages Category:Saphery Category:A Category:G